Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.

Saturday, 25 May 2013

The Syrian city of al-Qusayr witnessed on Saturday the fiercest fight since the Syrian army launched the operation against the foreign-backed militants almost nearly a week ago.

Syrian military sources told al-Manar that the Syrian army advanced on Saturday in the area of Hamidiyeh.
The source added that the Syrian armed forces destroyed a vehicle loaded with a 23 mm cannon in the airport of Dabaa in al-Qusayr countryside.

For his part, al-Manar correspondent reported that the armed groups inflicted heavy losses, noting that dozens of militants were killed or injured in the clashes.

He said that militants who are in the back-rows of the battle were asking to be provided with equipments as their supply routes were totally cut.

Our correspondent quoted military sources as assuring that al-Qusayr operation was totally successful as it fulfilled its goal which is to regain the city.

These sources stressed that the Syrian army tightened grip on the areas which was controlled by the foreign-backed militants.

On the other hand, the London-based opposition watchdog, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Agence France Presse that intense clashes rocked the central city of Qusayr on Saturday.

The head of the observatory, Rami Abdul Rahman, "the fighting and shelling, which took place on Saturday on the main roads inside and outside of Qusayr, are the most intense” since the operation started.

"The town of Qusayr, and the rebel areas north of the town like Hamdiyeh, the former military airport at Dabaa and Arjuneh have been subjected to heavy bombardment by regime forces,” Abdul Rahmad said, referring to the Syrian Army.

Source: Al Manar TV

25-05-2013 - 15:14 Last updated 25-05-2013 - 15:22

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

The 1997 Ottawa Treaty bans the use of mines, but countries like the US and Israel have opted to not sign the treaty

About a million landmines have been planted by the Israeli occupation in occupied Palestinian West Bank, official Palestinian data has shown.

The Commissioner General of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in Washington, Maan Erekat, said: "The number of Israeli landmines planted is between 800,000 to a million."

During his meeting with UN and NGO officials in New York on Wednesday, Erekat said: "This significant number of landmines poses great direct danger to the safety and security of Palestinian citizens." He discussed efforts with the officials he met to remove these landmines.

Erekat reiterated the importance of "continuing the efforts being exerted by the UN and NGO in cooperation with Palestinian parties to remove the landmines planted around the occupied West Bank."

The Israeli occupation has planted landmines in the Palestinian territories since it occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967 under "security" pretexts.

There are about 51 landmine fields scattered around the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, especially in the Jordan valley, the north and west of the West Bank, near the 'Green Line,' around Israeli settlements and around large empty spaces where Israeli soldiers practice their military drills.Source

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

A racist killer was feared to be on the loose in Birmingham last night after
a 75-year-old Muslim grandfather was murdered on his way home from evening
prayer.

Mohammed Saleem, who walked with a stick, was knifed four times in the back
so viciously on Monday night that the wounds penetrated his chest.

The father-of seven, who had no “defensive wounds”, was not robbed and his
family have said there was no reason they knew why anyone would want to hurt
him.

Yesterday, West Midlands Police launched a public appeal to trace a suspect
caught on CCTV near the scene of the attack, which detectives believe could be
racially motivated.

Det Supt Mark Payne, the officer in charge of the inquiry, admitted the
possibility it was a racist attack was a “significant line of inquiry".

A retired baker with five daughters, two sons and 22 grandchildren, Mr Saleem
had lived in Little Green Lane, Small Heath, Birmingham, with his wife, Said
Begum, 69, for 40 years.

Mr Payne said the issue of motive was "wide open" but Mr Saleem followed the
same route to the mosque, five times a day, and never carried any money. He added: "To the attacker I say we will find you and we will bring you to
justice. “Anybody capable of stabbing a 75-year-old man in the back three times needs
to be in jail and that's where we will put them." In an emotional family appeal, two of Mr Saleem's daughters Shazia Khan, 45,
who lives in London and Nazia Maqsood, 44, urged the attacker to hand themselves
in. Mrs Khan said she believed it was "a pre-meditated brutal attack,
pre-planned, intended to kill". Officers said they want to trace a white man, aged 25 to 32, of medium height
and build, caught on camera running near the scene around 10.30pm, the time of
the attack. Mr Payne said the man was seen wearing "a distinctive beanie hat with a
ribbed or striped pattern", a light-coloured top and dark bottoms. Police also want to trace a seven-seat people carrier captured on CCTV,
driving near the mosque with the two male occupants, both white men in their
30s, who are considered "significant witnesses". No arrests have yet been made.

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

The matter is very simple: If the forces backing the Syrian opposition could have provided them with more support, they would have already done so. In fact, there is little left they have not given them in terms of weapons, money, and fighters. The only reasonable answer to those who ask why they have not intervened directly in the conflict is that there is a limit to military force.
In Lebanon, the Syrian opposition’s supporters took the initiative early on to provide individuals and groups with all kinds of political, media and material assistance. The northern border with Syria became a lifeline for the opposition, turning Tripoli into a support base for the uprising, where money was collected, fighters recruited and trained, and weapons gathered and smuggled across the border.
Several weeks into the crisis, support for the opposition became public as “relief centers” were established in places like Turkey and Europe, among many others around the world, under the guise of “assisting the Syrian people,” when in fact they were little more than military training camps for the opposition.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates, and Jordan also joined the campaign, just as Salafi and jihadi groups from around the region sent dozens of fighters who rubbed shoulders with French, British, and American special forces. They all operated on the basis that the regime in Damascus would be toppled quickly.

Aside from those who denied such support, there are those who decided on their own that the vast majority of Syrians were opposed to the regime, ignoring a very different reality on the ground. And when detractors pointed out the growing influence of extreme takfiri elements in the crisis, the response was that these were lies fabricated by the regime to distort the image of the revolution.
In Lebanon, March 14 forces – along with others at the service of Gulf and Western countries – did all they could to make Lebanon part of the official Arab stance that sought to destroy Syria under the pretense of a popular uprising. They would go into a fit of hysteria any time Lebanon’s foreign minister expressed a different point of view.

In this context, how is Hezbollah’s involvement in the battle of Qusayr being treated?

Those who oppose Hezbollah’s political and military support for the Syrian regime are the very same people who reject any role for the Resistance in Lebanon. They dream of turning the party into a charitable organization, never once having stood by its side when it battled Israel for years to liberate the South.

In fact, their history is full of betrayal of country and cooperation with the enemy – from the failed May 1983 peace accords between Lebanon and Israel, to openly justifying Israel’s assault on Lebanon in 2006. They would gladly fight Hezbollah themselves if they could. Instead, all they have left to hope for is to see the takfiris bring their crusade to Lebanon, so that they can blame it on Hezbollah.

Quite frankly, no one – from Hezbollah leadership all the way down to its popular base – wanted to see the party’s fighters engaged in the Syrian conflict. But the fact of the matter is that the Resistance is doing something that many will soon begin to appreciate.

And to spare us a long debate on this matter: What Hezbollah is doing in Syria is part of a wider struggle by the forces of resistance against a murderous front of reactionary forces...at the heart of which stands Israel.

Ibrahim al-Amin is editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar.This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

13 years ago, the Zionist enemy that had occupied Lebanon since its 1982 invasion ran away. This is not an assumption, it is rather what the "Israelis" themselves admitted. "It wasn't a withdrawal and it wasn't a retreat. We ran away, pure and simple," says Noam Ben-Tzvi (res. ), the last commander of the "Israel" Forces western sector in south Lebanon.

Today, commemorating the May liberation, we bring back the speech of Hizbullah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had delivered in 2000, in which he assured that "Israel" is weaker than a spider web.

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Resistance is the sacrifice and is the purification no doubt, and Resistance is much more than what the mere word conveys . What we have experienced in Lebanon in Year 2000 and then in year 2006 was much more than a victory over an enemy .Victory there was no doubt, and an outstanding one . The enemy himself has not ye…t awoken from such bad dream and has become lost as what to do and from where to start again.

What we have witnessed in fact in year 2000, and after that in year 2006, were the signs of a real revolution that had taken place at the deepest level of the human being . These two victories were but the fruits of such revolution. There were potentials and capacities and spiritual dimensions that needed to materialize. There was commitment and determination and faith and forbearance and courage and a will to sacrifice that needed to be brought and experienced and tested and there was much more than that also .

These were attempts at reaching higher levels of consciousness and existence no doubt , a need to prove that truthfulness or morality or sacrifice was not just an ideal or an idea, these were truths that lived in the deeper layers of the human being and needed the proper opportunity to materialize and live and blossom in the freedom fighters beautiful heroic acts and deeds. The human being – that the freedom fighter is- was struggling for this experience , people were also longing for this experience that is a potential human experience and a spiritual one above all, thus people were challenged by the most beastly occupation and invasion , by the most shocking abuse and mistreatment , by the most acute violation and injustice .

What to do when challenged by such an enemy? It is natural law that had arranged for all this , it is natural law which engendered the quest of the people to explore their inner being and unravel- within – the mysteries and the purpose of creation which is to know one’s real identity . It Is not just the enemy that the freedom fighters had to overcome , it is every form of weakness and surrender and want of faith and absence of courage and lack of intuition and indecision that had to be confronted and overcome . It was a whole operation of discovering and producing a new individual who is up to the challenge, an individual who -before defeating the other- be it Israeli or other than Israeli- had already defeated or was in the process of defeating every aspect of weakness within himself.

We are talking here about a rebirth in the spiritual and religious sense, and not just a revolution or a liberation or a war victory . We are talking about real solidarity and real oneness and real identification with the plight of man .What we are witnessing in the Resistance is the personification of all basic religious and ethical values that have been deteriorating lately at the hands of the corrupt world administration . This Resistance is here for all to redress this state of things, and not just to win over Israel, and all are required to support the mighty Resistance and answer the call of nature in supporting the oppressed and standing with right cause as a way to win the battle of life itself .River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

On Sunday dawn, "Israel" attacked Damascus country side under the alleged pretext of banning the delivery of sophisticated weapons to Hizbullah.

Hours passed, the Syrian leadership sent clear messages to all who might be concerned: "We are ready for the response and will hand the Lebanese resistance more advanced missiles."

Meanwhile, Damascus' visitors revealed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is comfortable and to transform Syria into a Resistance State.

On Friday, Hizbullah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah returned the Syrian salutation with a better greeting: "Ready to receive your weapons and to back the Syrian popular resistance to liberate the Occupied Golan."

In an attempt to shed light on the aspects of the Resistance axis' response to the "Israeli" aggression on Syria, moqawama.org interviewed the retired General in the Lebanese Army, Elias Farhat.

Resistance Historical Response

"By its recent attack on Syria, "Israel" crumbed the "separation-of-forces" agreement as well as the rules of conflict established since 1974," he clarified, and noted that the "aggression forms a blatant violation to the UN agreements." Thus, according to Farhat the Syrian response came to say: "If "Israel" seeks to change the rules, so let it be."He further elaborated: "Syria is disband from the old new rules [particularly the truce agreement] and it will continue to arm the Lebanese resistance in parallel to working on liberating the Occupied Golan."

Moreover, the military expert predicted that any new "Israeli" aggression on Syria will receive a direct, firm, and crushing response from the resistance axis. He also commented on what Sayyed Nasrallah had declared: "We, the Lebanese resistance, are ready to receive any sort of qualitative arms, even if it is going to break the regional balance. We are ready to receive any sort of qualitative arms, even if it is going to break the regional balance." On the type of "balance changing" arms, Farhat explained what is already meant by regional balance.

"Earlier and on more than one occasion Sayyed Nasrallah declared that the resistance owns more than 50,000 weapons that are able to hit any target in Occupied Palestine," the General mentioned.He recalled that the resistance Leader that the maritime economic zone in the Zionist entity as well as Eilat are under the resistance fire line. "Thus, land and maritime missiles are part of the regional balance and resistance deterrence capabilities." Thus, "the anti-space missiles are the weapons that might break the existing balance, particularly that "Israeli" jets continue to breach the Lebanese air-space sovereignty on daily basis." Such a development, according to the retired general, will change the region's face. ""Israel" will have no more space superiority. The balance on land will be accompanied with another in the space," he added. Meanwhile, he stressed that "In any new confrontation, the resistance weapons are to reach all of the Occupied Palestinian territories and the "Israeli" jets won't find it easy to breach the Lebanese air sovereignty." Based on ground facts, Farhat confirmed that "we are in a new critical stage in the Arab- "Israeli" conflict. It is a historical moment. "On the resistance's readiness to support the Syrian Popular Resistance to liberate the Occupied Golan, the military expert affirmed that "this is part of the reciprocate to Syria's assistance to the resistance." In the same context, Farhat revealed some aspects of Al-Assad's announcement that Syrian would be transformed into a State of Resistance. "This means that Syria seeks to face the global war on it as well as the "Israeli" threats by changing the infrastructure of its traditional military to a resistance group ones." Opening Golan Front..."Israel" Facing Existential ThreatFor his part, the Coordinator of the Safety Net for Research and Strategic Studies Anis Nakash indicated that the Syrian readiness for liberating the Occupied Golan reflects that the Zionist enemy failed in breaking the Syrian will.

In remarks to al-Ahed news, Nakash hailed "the new strategic development that crosses the geographic boundaries and that the Syrian leadership is no more committed to the truce agreement.""Sayyed Nasrallah's announcement of readiness to support the Syrian popular resistance is very dangerous and serious, particularly on the level of training the Syrian people to defend their land," he stressed.

The military analyst further stated "the expansion of the geographical boundaries of the resistance from Lebanon to the Golan means that the resistance redirected the compass of war front war to include not only the Lebanese lands but also the Syrian territories." "Both the Syrian regime strategic response and the resistance capabilities awoke "Israel" from its daydreams and made it realize that its existence faces a serious threat, given the strength of the resistance," he added.

Moreover, Nakash agreed with Farhat that the Russian stance to provide Syria with strategic Alexander and other advanced missiles means that the US is unable to respond the new regional developments. "This sends another message to "Israel" over readiness to break its qualitative edge."

Source: moqawama.org

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Friday, 24 May 2013

At its annual General Assembly, which concluded today, the Church of Scotland “overwhelmingly
accepted” a revised version of its report, “The Inheritance of Abraham?” that
so aroused Jewish ire earlier this month.

As I noted previously, the revised version was considerably watered
down from the original, yet still retained the report’s key conclusions: that
the Bible does not confer upon any people a guaranteed, divine right to any
land, and that the current situation between Israel and the Occupied
Palestinian Territories is characterized by an inequality in power.

Despite the church going to all the trouble to rewrite its report, including
the outright deletion of some sections, Jews quite predictably are unsatisfied
with the results.

“Whatever the revisions, ‘The Inheritance of Abraham’ still contains not an ounce
of sympathy for Israel,” complains Liam Hoare, in an article published by the Jewish Daily Forward. The piece, headlined
“Church of Scotland Strikes Out on Israel,” was posted today on The Forward’s
website, though apparently before the author had gotten the news of the revised
version’s passage—he doesn’t mention the General Assembly’s final vote. But he does call the report “borderline
anti-Semitic,” and says that even the revised version failed to “repeal all
claims that smacked of Christian supremacism?”

Christian supremacism? Apparently
Hoare is upset that the revised report dared, even still, to offer quotes from
the New Testament. The Church of Scotland, he avers, “does not appear to see
the contradiction in turning to the New Testament and asserting its
truthfulness in order to advance its case.”

Hoare’s comments are a perfect example of why I am opposed to Christians
wasting their time engaging in any further “interfaith dialog” with Jews—because
invariably you will run up against people like this. It is almost inevitable.
Keep in mind that the Jewish Daily Forward is considered one of the more “liberal”
Jewish publications around.

The “Inheritance of Abraham?” was authored and presented to the General
Assembly by the church’s Church and Society Council. Here is a report,
appearing at the Church of Scotland website, on its presentation and final
approval:

Church debated revised Inheritance of
Abraham report

23 May 2013

Presenting the report Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Convener of the Church and
Society Council said: “This is primarily a report highlighting the continued
occupation by the state of Israel and the injustices faced by the Palestinian
people as a consequence. It is not a report criticising the Jewish people.
Opposing the unjust policies of the state of Israel cannot be equated to
anti-Semitism. “

“The Church has kept on thinking about ways we can contribute to a just and
peaceful solution. The report we bring to this year’s Assembly has already
caused no small amount of controversy. The Church and Society Council has
learned a great deal from dialogue with Jewish community which followed the
initial release of the report.

“We would like to thank members of the Jewish community who sat down with us
and were gracious in their concern. We present a revised version today with a
preface that sets the report more in context. While acknowledging that some of
the original language, on reflection, was misguided, I want to affirm that the
report remains robust. It offers new insights - ones that have come through the
experience of those suffering the continuing injustices of occupation. I look
forward to the debate and, I hope, to continuing discussion after today
exploring the issues and ideas brought forward in the report.”

The revised report was overwhelmingly accepted by the General Assembly. Mrs
Foster-Fulton said: “The on-going conflict in Israel and the Occupied
Palestinian Territory has been an issue close to the heart of the Church of
Scotland

THE General Assembly has ignored calls by Scottish Jews to rethink a
controversial report on the Israel-Palestine situation.

The Church and Society Council’s Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the
Promised Land document prompted a storm of controversy around the world when it
was first published.

Although primarily about the treatment of Palestinian people by the Israeli
government, it was interpreted by Jewish groups as questioning the assumption
that the Bible supported the existence of Israel as the Promised Land for Jews.

The report was criticised by the Israeli government as playing into “extremist
political positions” and that it had damaged inter-faith relations.

In the wake of the row, the Kirk entered talks with Jewish groups and revised
the report, changing some of the language and adding a preface giving context
to the document.

Despite these amendments, the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC)
said that the report’s “unacceptable underlying message remains unaltered,” and
hoped that “rather than adopting the report, the General Assembly will refer it
back in order to permit a serious and sustained dialogue that will bring our
communities together rather than driving us apart”.

During the debate on the report yesterday, the Rev David Randall echoed the
SCoJeC’s call and brought a motion for the council to continue its work on the
paper to find out “what is troubling the Jewish community” and report back in
2014.

Although she agreed that talks with Jewish communities should continue, the
council convener, the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, rejected the motion, stating
that council had been in “good dialogue” with them and had addressed their
concerns. But she said that it was “a report for the General Assembly to
discuss and debate” and that the central message “was robust”.

A standing vote was taken and Mr Randall’s motion was overwhelmingly rejected,
and the report was accepted by the Assembly.

Speaking outside the hall, Mrs Foster-Fulton said: “This is primarily a report
highlighting the continued occupation by the state of Israel and the injustices
faced by the Palestinian people as a consequence. It is not a report
criticising the Jewish people. Opposing the unjust policies of the state of
Israel cannot be equated to antisemitism.”

You’ll note the complaints, mentioned in the above report, voiced by the
Scottish Council of Jewish Communities. Like Hoare, the SCoJeC apparently didn’t
feel that the “Christian supremacist” Church of Scotland had bent over
backwards far enough to appease its Jewish critics. But it wasn’t only them.
When the church released the original version of its report in early May, it
had to face pressure mounted from at least three other Jewish organizations—the
Board of Deputies of British Jews, Movement for Reform Judaism, and Rabbis for
Human Rights.

As I said, the Scottish church gave ground in some areas, but stood firm in
others—and overall it deserves to be commended for its final vote on the matter.
Other churches could do far worse than follow their example.

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

A number of the ruling al-Saud monarchy in Saudi Arabia together with some celebrities are squandering huge sums of money on drugs and debauchery, according to a senior cleric.

In a televised interview, Ali al-Maliki said that these individuals - all enjoying immunity from prosecution - excessively indulge in sensual pleasures, crazy partying and wild night parties often consuming a lot of alcohol.

He added that he has heard about the ongoing promiscuity in the country from several youths, who used to attend the parities but are remorseful of their past deeds.

Maliki also pointed to the massive flow of narcotics into Saudi Arabia, noting that members of the governing regime are involved in smuggling and trade of illicit drugs. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter, with the black gold accounting for 90 percent of the country's exports.

However, corruption is so ingrained in Saud Arabia’s royal family that despite the country’s enormous oil money, it struggles with problems such as poverty and unemployment.

Job growth and welfare programs in Saudi Arabia have failed to keep pace with a booming population that has soared from 6 million in 1970 to 28 million today, according to a report published in December 2012 by the Washington Post.

The report added that in Saudi Arabia, “poverty and anger over corruption continue to grow. Vast sums of money end up in the pockets of the royal family through a web of nepotism, corruption and cozy government contracts, according to Saudi and US analysts.”

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday stressed the important role which the national and regional powers can play in facing extremist and takfiri thinking and confronting the foreign plots targeting the Arab people, State-run news agency reported.

Receiving a Tunisian delegation on Thursday, Assad highlighted the necessity of adhering to the Arab principles and identity and the values of Arabism to stand up to the changes witnessed in the Arab arena.
The meeting touched upon the latest developments in Syria and Tunisia and the changes witnessed in the Arab region in general.

He briefed the Tunisian delegation on the dimensions of the crisis in Syria and the firm Syrian stance on confronting terrorism and its regional and international supporters and on the possible political solution.

For its part, the delegation expressed the Tunisian people's solidarity with Syria and their appreciation of Syrian army steadfastness and unity in the face of the foreign conspiracy and aggression led by the Zionist entity, some regional countries and the West.

The delegation consisted of representatives of Tunisian political, economic and popular movements, headed by Dr. Shukri Bin Suleiman Harmasi, Secretary General of the Tunisian al-Thawabit (Immutable Principles) Party.

Pointing out that Syria is targeted for adhering to resistance and committing to Arab causes, the Tunisian figures described it as "the last stronghold of Arab nationalism," stressing confidence that it will come out of its crisis victorious under the leadership of President al-Assad.

"This victory will be a victory for all the Arabs because Syria is considered "the last line of defense of Arabism and the highest national interests," they said.

Expressing sorrow and apology for some misled Tunisians’ participation in the Syria violence, the guests noted that Tunisian people have succeeded to a large extent in reducing the flow of extremists towards Syria.

“Many Tunisian young people demand to participate in the popular resistance on the Golan front and stand by their Syrian brothers in the face of the Zionist occupation,” they added.

President al-Assad also talked about the deep brotherly relations binding the Syrian and Tunisian peoples, which were reflected by the Tunisians through the marches which they have staged in support of Syria.

Source: Agencies

23-05-2013 - 19:13 Last updated 23-05-2013 - 19:13

River toSeaUprooted PalestinianThe views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!